ridicule implies a deliberate often malicious belittling.
consistently ridiculed everything she said
deride suggests contemptuous and often bitter ridicule.
derided their efforts to start their own business
mock implies scorn often ironically expressed as by mimicry or sham deference.
youngsters began to mock the helpless wino
taunt suggests jeeringly provoking insult or challenge.
hometown fans taunted the visiting team
Examples of ridicule in a Sentence
Noun
She didn't show anyone her artwork for fear of ridicule.
the early efforts by the suffragists to obtain voting rights for women were met with ridiculeVerb
The other kids ridiculed him for the way he dressed.
They ridiculed all of her suggestions.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The images prompted so much online ridicule that Musk reportedly began taking Wegovy just to lose the fat.
Altman and Musk, on the other hand, are far from cozy.—Beth Greenfield, Fortune, 1 July 2024 The women who participated in the movement learned to endure contempt and ridicule, imprisonment and torture.—Elaine Weiss, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2019
Verb
Growing up with a hearing loss, many times I was ridiculed due to my hearing loss.—Kerria Weaver, The Arizona Republic, 9 July 2024 And given her frequent overseas trips, Harris can adeptly describe allies’ horror over Trump’s invitation to Vladimir Putin to attack NATO countries and ridicule Trump’s delusion that dictators love him.—Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post, 7 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for ridicule
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ridicule.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
French or Latin; French, from Latin ridiculum jest
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